


Promises break barriers, love creates bonds

by OwlFeathers (AngelofAlderaan)



Series: The Tournament of Power [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Bonding, Briefs Family, Dreams, Dreamsharing, F/M, Family, Tournament of Power, Vegebul, bulla briefs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelofAlderaan/pseuds/OwlFeathers
Summary: No, this couldn't be the end.  She believed that.  They had pulled through so many times, and her best friend had the purest heart, he would see this through.  With her proud husband was by his side, they could do anything--if they worked together.Bulma waits for Vegeta and the Z Warriors to return from the Tournament of Power and falls asleep, dreaming of the ordeal her husband is going through.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs & Vegeta, Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Series: The Tournament of Power [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697116
Comments: 9
Kudos: 44





	Promises break barriers, love creates bonds

With a thud, Bulma downed her third cup of coffee that morning and slammed the mug down on to the patio table. The mid morning sun beat down on the deck umbrella above her, and in the pack n play next to her, her newborn slept soundly. Propping her head up on her elbow, she sighed heavily, looking towards a cloudless sky. She hadn't slept all night, and it was beginning to take its toll. She had pulled an all nighter, something she hadn't done since before getting pregnant, waiting for her friends and husband to return home-or to cease existing. She didn't want to waste possible precious moments asleep. 

They were hours overdue.

Of course she could be wrong, who knew how time worked for the gods? But still, it had been far longer than she had been told this tournament would last. She wished that Trunks could have stayed by her side. If this was the end, she wanted to see his face one last time.

No, this couldn't be the end. She believed that. They had pulled through so many times, and her best friend had the purest heart, he would see this to the end. With her proud husband was by his side, they could do anything-if they worked together. She groaned at the thought inwardly. Their brotherly rivalry had have been better be put aside just this once.

Vegeta, the once wicked agent of Freiza, now husband and father of two, redeemed by the love and kindness of Earth, had been forced into working with that same being that had once turned his heart to stone-to save their entire universe. The irony hand not been lost on either of them as they left. She wondered how long it had taken before Freiza tried something dastardly to betray them all.

The warmth of the sun was nice. She felt her eyes grow heavy, and before long she was dozing, succumbing to the emotions of the day and lack of sleep the night before.

***

The nexus of the universe swirled before her. It was beautiful and yet somehow filled her with dread. What was she doing here? She searched the expanse for something, she wasn't sure what, but something she felt needed her, desperately. In the void, her minds eye found an arena in ruins floating in space, chunks of rocks and debris floating lazily by. On a rock outcropping, a strange muscular being stood aggressively at its edge, looking out in disdain. Was this the Tournament of Power she was seeing? Were was Vegeta, or Goku? The androids? Krillin? Anyone else? Had-had they all lost? More and more questions swirled in her mind. Then she saw him, the one person that always needed her, since the moment he came to Earth, a puzzle begging to be solved, a heart ever in need to be understood. Faintly out in space, a speck of blue and white hung there.

Vegeta dangled precariously from a floating hunk of stone. He was battered and bruised, a black eye puffing up quickly. His armor had long since gone, and the top of his jumpsuit basted into oblivion. This had to be a dream, she told herself. Still her heart sank, stomach tied up in a horrible knot. She had seen him beaten time and again, even mangled from Gravity Room accidents, but she would never get used to seeing him harmed in any way, no matter how strong he got. Bulma felt sick watching him there, limp.

He had to wake up, he had to make it through this. If he was the only one left, he was their last hope. For the sake of his family, he had to win.

"Vegeta, pull yourself together!" She screamed into the void, praying he would somehow hear him. 

He twitched slightly. Had he head her? She had to try again. "You know what's at stake, so what are you doing?"

Nothing, no movement this time. Perhaps she was wrong. He couldn't hear her in this dream world. But she didn't care, she had to try again. His family was counting on him. SHE was counting on him. "Vegeta!" _Come on you big idiot, wake up!_

"Why do you always have to wake me up early?" A gravely voice groaned, cutting through the silence. His good eye opening up slightly, and a playful smile fought through the pain. He had heard her. That smirk would have sent her heart soaring at any other time, but for now, she was just relieved to see him revive. With difficulty, he managed to pull himself up slowly onto the rock, and-

***

A shrill cry pulled her awake. In the play pen next to her, Bulla demanded her next meal. Shaking the remnants of sleep away, she reached for the little one and headed inside to feed her. She had nursed Trunks, but a few months in, she wasn't producing enough milk to keep up with the demi Saiyan's demands. This time, she would be ahead of the curve and just stick to bottles. And could this girl eat. Before he had left, Vegeta had proudly stated that this daughter could do four in one go. Now Bulma was about to add a fifth to the evening routine. Bottles had been a good call. In the kitchen, she pulled out three prepped bottles from the fridge to start and began to warm them up, soothing Bulla, rocking her back and forth in her arms. As she swayed, she tried recalling her vision. Bits and pieces were called up, Vegeta hanging on for dear life, calling out to him, an impish grin. The microwave beeped, and she retrieved the bottles, shaking them then testing the temperature out on her wrist. Good to go.

They made their way to the living room couch and Bulla proceeded to down all three, then passed peacefully back into slumber at the end of the last. "Yeah, I feel ya, little one." Settling into the couch, she got more comfortable and closed her eyes as well. It wouldn't hurt to take a little nap she guessed.

A shadow hovered over her, and she felt as if she were being watched in her sleep, pulling her into wakefulness. How long had she been out? "I'm up, mom." She took a deep breath in. 

A gruff chuckle snapped her fully awake. "Vegeta!" Tears filled her eyes. There stood her Saiyan Prince. His jumpsuit was ripped just as she had seen in her dream earlier, but his wounds were healed. Had that dream been real? She pushed all questions aside and got to her feet, waking Bulla, who began to cry, but she didn't care, she lept towards her husband with her own tears. Eyes wide, he awkwardly grasped the two females as she flung them into his arms. Bulla's crying ceased when she saw her father, sighing contentedly. Relaxing, he held them both, breathing in their scent. She buried her wet face into his chest, but he didn't protest. "I was so worried. I dreamed that you got knocked out, and were hanging-" She stopped mid sentence, feeling his breathing stop. Looking up, she saw his wide onyx eyes. "What?" Bulma pulled away to get a better survey of his face.

"You called out to me." He spoke evenly.

Now it was her turn to feel shocked. "Yes. I told you not to give up."

"You woke me up." His deadpan pulled her back to reality and she stifled a laugh.

"Well it worked, didn't it?" A big smile filled her face, blue eyes sparkling.

The dark prince continued to look dumbfounded. "I don't understand."

With her free hand, she took his and squeezed it. "I don't either, but if I helped, I'm glad."

Vegeta stared down at her hand holding his. "You kept me going." He paused, not looking up, and took a deep breath. "It bought Kakarot enough time to recover so he could keep on going. I got thrown out soon after."

Leaning in, she pecked him on the cheek. Anywhere in public he would have complained about her "sneak attack", but in the privacy of their own home, he cherished it. "And that is what makes you the strongest warrior of them all. You fought for something other than yourself. I am so proud of you." They stood in silence for a moment, simply holding hands. She thought back to the many times in the past he had fought, how selfish he was when they first met, hell bent on revenge, this motive being replaced by a prideful desire for power to prove himself the best and strongest. Even after they were married, he couldn't get over that thirst for power. It was only after losing this life and everything he ever cared for, that he realized how wrong he had been in this pursuit of power. 

He let go and scooped Bulla out of her mother's arm. The little girl cooed up at her father. "I did what I had to." A small smile crossed his face.

"So Goku was the last in?" She watched her warrior husband tenderly gaze at his little princess.

A chuckle escaped his lips. "No, actually. We both ate some humble pie today. He and Freiza worked together to take out this freak, Jiren, and 17 was the last one in."

The blue haired heiress felt her own eyes grow wide this time. "Really? Did he get his wish?"

Shaking his head, the Saiyan closed his eyes, a wide smile filling his expression. "No, he wished all the universes back into existence. It was a test, the whole tournament. The Omi Kings wanted to see if the winner would do this. If he hadn't, we all would have been erased from reality."

Bulma stared at him in wonder. Android 17 had acted unselfishly. As always, the Z Warriors had helped yet another being become a better person. Sure, 17 was on their side, but he had never seemed to accept the rest of humanity the way his sister had. He care for few, and trusted fewer. Bulma was in awe at this change. Her little family of warriors never ceased to amaze her. "What was his wish again? For a boat to sail around the world with his family?" Vegeta nodded. "Hummm...I think we can make that wish come true. My turn to play Dragon."

A familiar goofy face appeared behind her husband. "Yo, Bulma!" She squeezed Vegeta's hand and let go before anyone could see this display of affection. It would have bothered any other woman, but Bulma knew it wasn't because he wasn't proud of his brilliant wife or wanted to hide how he felt about her, it was because those displays were meant only for her.

Goku was in no better state than her husband, gi torn at the waist sash, bare chested. She embraced her lovable goofball. "Goku. I'm so proud of you both." He hugged her back, then pulled back and rubbed the back of his head.

"You should have seen Vegeta, he broke his own barriers. What would you call that, Super Saiyan Blue Two? Ooooh, maybe Blue Evolution!" Vegeta looked torn between pride and wanting to rip her friend a new one.

"I don't know, Kakarot!" He glared at the other Saiyan. "I was more concerned about taking down Jiren." Then he muttered something Bulma barely caught. "Rub it in, clown."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. Normally he would be strutting around proudly, announcing his new achievement, but she knew there was something up. "Goku, care to share with me what _else_ happened?"

Suddenly the floor looked very interesting to the other Saiyan. Vegeta growled. "The fool achieved Autonomous Ultra Instinct." And there it was. She hadn't a clue what _this_ level was, but her proud Prince had not attained it, and she knew he wouldn't rest until he did. She rolled her eyes.

"Really, Vegeta? I don't even know what the heck this is, but you can wait and try to beat the snot out him and get there later, okay?" He growled and Bulla giggled at him, which brought him back to gaze at her, face softening.

Goku giggled nervously. "Well, I'm gonna get going. Chi-Chi is probably worried." He waved and he began to head back to the deck.

"Oh! Let Chi-Chi know not to worry about dinner, everyone is invited here tonight to celebrate Bulla and the win, okay?" Bulma beamed back at her oldest friend.

"Great! See you tonight!" Goku grinned and headed out.

***

Everyone had been in a jovial mood, and Android 17 was the center of attention, much to his dismay. Bulla was showered with love from all her new extended family, while her father hovered over her protectively. After a while, Vegeta and Goku disappeared to go spar of course, thinking their wives wouldn't notice (they did). Lord Beerus and Whis took advantage of the cuisine, engulfing massive quantities of food like a Saiyan. But the Destroyer god was the happiest she had ever seen him. He seemed really relaxed. This big, bad harbinger of death had grown fond of these children of Earth. 

Before the evening was out, Whis pulled Bulma aside. "I wanted to let you know that you should be proud of Vegeta. He fought well. But he is going to after a new goal. One that might consume him if he's not careful." The angel had a hint of concern on his face.

The blunette simply rolled her eyes. "This is nothing new. Vegeta told me Goku unlocked some kind of Ultra Instinct thing."

Nodding, Whis lowered his staff and a vision of Goku appeared over the dark orb at the end of it. He was sheathed in silver, completely different than any other look she had seen him in, fighting more smoothly than ever before. It was awe inspiring. She could understand why Vegeta wished to attain this power. "But what about Vegeta, didn't he break his own barriers?"

The projected image changed and there stood her husband, standing boldly, his hair now a truer shade of blue, the aura around him sparkled. When she first had seen him as a Super Saiyan, she thought he looked incredible, god-like. This transformation filled her with a kind of reverence for the man she loved. "Vegeta." She whispered his name like a prayer under her breath. After a moment she came to herself once more. "What pushed him to reach this?"

Whis simply smiled. "A promise from one Saiyan to another. He swore to Cabba that he would win and bring back the 6th Universe. He's become quite the role model for that young man." The angel giggled, and Bulma joined. Her bull-headed husband a Master? She glanced towards her son playing with Goten. Well, he was a good teacher, she shouldn't have been surprised.

The scientist's thoughts went back to Goku's new transformation and her competitive husband. She wondered if there was any way for her to help him out. He may have been singular minded, but his motives had changed. Oh sure, pride drove him, but his devotion to his family also sparked that desire now. "What would it take for Vegeta to reach this Ultra Instinct mode?"

"In battle, Vegeta is a tactician, it's part of what makes him such a cunning warrior. But he also keeps on going because of you and his family. In order to achieve Autonomous Ultra Instinct, one has to completely empty their mind and let their muscles move of their own accord. Vegeta was able to do some of this while he fought, and anticipate attacks, but only after seeing Goku attain this ability He has too much going on in his mind, I'm not sure he will ever be able to do what Goku did." The angel looked concerned, furrowing his brow.

Bulma took all of this in, biting her bottom lip. Whis knew her husband well enough to see what drove him. And somehow he also knew his flaws, how he once fell back to his old ways, throwing away all he had just for the opportunity to finally overcome the other Saiyan. But he wouldn't do that, not again...would he? He had come so far, changed from a cold hearted, mass murdering planet destroyer into a loving husband, caring father, and protector of Earth. He had sworn to her after Buu that that person died that day.

Seeing the worry on her face, Whis placed a hand on her shoulder. "You would have been proud of him. When he got knocked out, he sent the last of his energy to Goku, then proceeded to cheer him on from the stands, and not because Lord Beerus threatened him!" He closed his eyes and giggled again. "He spoke like true royalty, pushing him on and reminding him of who he was and what he fought for."

No, she had no reason to worry about Vegeta sliding back, he had proved himself time and again. He had learned where his strength lies and he would lean on that rather than his own hubris. Sure he would strive to attain this new mode, but he wouldn't do it at the cost of those he loves, not again. She thought back to her dream, how Vegeta had heard her and kept on going. "Hey, Whis, something strange happened while you guys were gone that I can't rationalize. I tried to stay awake waiting for you all, but ended up passing out. In my dreams, I saw the tournament, I spoke to Vegeta to get him to wake up and fight. And...he heard me. He said he heard every word. How is that possible?"

The angel attendant's eyes grew merry. "Well, will wonders never cease today? Seems like you both broke boundaries." She cocked her head to the side, confused. "It happens very rarely, but bonded Saiyans can communicate over vast distances. The ability developed from the need to say farewell to ones mate if mortally wounded in battle. Not all Saiyans bond with their mates, as that kind of affection had been suppressed for generations, but I believe you fell asleep right when Vegeta needed to hear you the most."

At that moment, she could almost feel Vegeta's presence, landing on the balcony behind her with Goku and sneaking back into the compound. Without breaking her gaze, she shouted at the two Saiyans. "You boys had better go take a shower and clean up before you join us!" A hysterical giggle came from Goku followed by an ouch and a _Shut up Kakarot!_ Whis's eyes narrowed in a knowing look.

***

By the time all their guests left, Bulma was dead tired. Bulla was sleeping soundly in the nursery that used to be Vegeta's old room, and Trunks was back in his own. It felt good to have her whole family under one roof finally. Bulma slid under her soft sheets and curled up, shivering a bit. In a few moments, she felt the bed shift, blankets move, and an arm wrap around her, warming her up. She never slept well without her warm blooded Saiyan husband to keep her from being chilled. 

Snuggling closer to him, she sighed. "I'm so proud of you, Vegeta."

Lips brushed her ear in a whisper. "I don't think I could have made it without you." In her mind's eye she was falling into space, all energy drained, save one last bit. A small glimmer of light escaped her hand and glided toward space, then everything went black. She sat up straight in bed, breathing hard.

"What? What is it?" Vegeta hand one arm wrapped around her protectively, the other outstretched in defense, a ball of energy forming in his hand. A blue aura engulfed them both. He looked around the room for enemies.

Once her breathing steadied, she gently lowered his arm. He gazed at her in concern, but his aura dissipated along with the ball on energy. "I'm-I'm fine. I just saw something." She placed her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, breathing in time to it. A question formed in his furrowed brows. Pulling back, she stared into his dark eyes. "It was like the dream, but this time I was seeing you getting tossed out of the arena through your eyes."

The Saiyan Prince closed his eyes in pain, but then they shot open in realization. "Bulma, I was thinking about that very moment just now." He placed his hand on hers. "I think we may have become-"

A gentle smile filled her face. "Bonded?"

The dark prince's brows furrowed once again. "Woman, how do you-"

Cutting him off again, she began to explain. "I told Whis what happened in my dream and he explained what it could have meant. But, now I'm a bit confused. He said the connection only happened at the brink of death."

A wide grin spread across his face, almost mischievous. "Yes, that is what triggers it, but if the Saiyan survives, both can exchange thoughts and memories. Though I will admit, I don't know much more than that. Such a thing was frowned upon. It showed weakness and a reliance on others."

Lovingly, she ran the back of her hand across his cheek. "And what does the Prince of all Saiyans think of this now?"

He held her hand close, taking in her scent. Then he gazed deeply into her azure eyes. "Why don't you tell me." Feelings filled her, those of heated arguments, of passion, arms holding her close, tender moments, then pain, shame, pride, then finally something warm and three words formed there, words he hardly ever spoke. She felt a tear run down her cheek. A tender hand wiped it away.

"No tears," He wrapped strong arms around her, holding her close in the dark. They had been through so much, and more was to come. But for now, in this moment, the bonds of love drew them closer than ever. Her warrior prince was by her side, and nothing gave her more peace and contentment.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this please read my first in this little series that takes place right before the Tournament!
> 
> UPDATE!  
> You guys asked for more, and you got it!!! Here is the next part of the story! https://archiveofourown.org/works/24530854/chapters/59229037


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